Steve Jobs had one final trick up his sleeve. Apple will completely overhaul part of its hardware product line in 2012, including the iPhone, iMac, iPad and MacBook Air. The news comes courtesy of suppliers in Asia that are part of Apple’s supply chain.

Could this be the next iPad? The iPad 3 will have retina-quality display and be “super-thin,” based on industry rumors.

The trade DigiTimes reported the news today. According to a source, it seems only the products above will get the overhaul; the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Mac Pro and iPod were not mentioned. Also, the iPad will receive an upgrade during the early part of 2012. The iPhone 5, of course, is due out in the second half of next year. The sources said ”Apple will finalize order volumes for key parts and components” for the third-generation iPad in December — with two million units being prodcued by the end of this year. The upgraded iPad would be thinner and have an even longer battery life.

Recently Apple quietly updated its MacBook’s with faster processing power. Apple also recently showed suppliers two prototypes, code-named J1 and J2. The prototypes showcased higher resolutions, for the next-gen iPad or iPad 3, a display that could have double the resolution of the current model — a 2,046 x 1,536 screen. That would most likely be a third-quarter 2012 release.

Super Thin is In
Don’t put off that iPad 2 purchase just yet. While DigiTimes has good sources throughout Apple’s supply chain, the trade publication has been wrong in the past, including the recent iPhone 5 bait-and-switch that Apple pulled, opting instead for the iPhone 4S.

The display rumors and the rumor that even the MacBook Pro will adopt a more MacBook Air-type of styling (called “super-thin” by some industry analyst) seemss to play to those next-gen rumors.